83 research outputs found
Fertility Trend in Ghana
The study traces the likely route of the movement of fertility through the demographic transition. The information is critical for construction of population projections as well as for monitoring and evaluating action programmes The original P/F ratio method and modified versions, one through the intermediary of relational Gompertz model, for analysing birth history data, are employed in assessing data quality as well as in determining fertility levels and trends. The derived estimates suggest that the level of fertility in Ghana fell from about seven children per woman in the 1960s and 1970s to 4.6 children per woman by the turn of the 20th century. The pace of the decline, slowed down considerably between the late1990s and the beginning of this century when the total fertility rate dropped from 4.8 to 4.6 The changing youth population, substantial increase in the number of females aged 15-49 years, increasing aging population and the huge discrepancy between contraceptive use and the level of fertility are some of the crucial issues that call for policy options and research-based evidence for designing context specific development strategies and action programmes
Determinants of Fertility Decline in Botswana
Botswana exhibits a medium fertility rate (i.e.4.0-5.0 births per woman). One of the three countries in sub-Sahara Africa (Kenya and Zimbabwe are the other two) reported to be experiencing incipient fertility decline, an indication of the subcontinent's entry into the second phase of the fertility transition after undergoing significant changes in the proximate determinants of fertility over the past few decades. The magnitude and socioeconomic and demographic determinants of the declines in the three countries have become major preoccupations of researchers. This article examines some aspects of these topical issues in relation to fertility trend in Botswana. It also draws attention to the need to develop intellectual capacity for studying these phenomena and provide adequate and reliable information and appropriate tools for monitoring and evaluating demographic trends in the sub-continent
Demographic transition: the predicament of sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa consists of countries regarded as underdeveloped or developing and is part of the so-called Third World. Third World countries share many characteristics but at the continental level they are not the same. For instance, sub-Saharan Africa is sparsely populated, in contrast to South and East Asia, and it is much less urbanized than Latin America. It stands out among the other major regions of the Third World as having the slowest rate of economic growth in recent years: an average annual growth rate of gross domestic product of 2.4 per cent between 1980 and 1990 compared to 3.0 per cent in South Asia, 4.3 in Middle East and North Africa and 3.1 per cent in Latin America during the same period; its population growth is outstripping that of food production and also it is politically Balkanized, consisting of a large number of countries most of which are small and at an early stage of development. There are 50 of them, including South Africa and British Indian Ocean Territory. The latter is excluded from the discussion for lack of demographic information while the former will not figure much for a number of reasons. We know more about the demographic profiles of the other countries of the region than we do about South Africa. Reports on the methodology of studies conducted in South Africa are not published and major questions on coverage, sampling methods, response rates and other factors remain unanswered (Caldwell and Caldwell 1993)
Effect of site characteristics on the productivity and economic returns from cassava legume intercropping in Ghana
In a 2-year field study, cassava was intercropped with four legumes (cowpea, pigeon pea, soyabean and
Stylosanthes at three locations with different soil and environmental conditions, to determine the effect
of site characteristics on the agronomic and economic advantage of the intercrop. The trial was a factorial experiment in a split plot design with three replications. A cost benefit analysis was conducted for the trial on the different crop arrangements. Root yield of cassava in the mixed cassava legume treatment across location during the first year was significantly higher (p < 0.05) compared to the stripped treatment. Root yield of cassava cowpea mixed intercrop for example ranged from 38 to 88
t/ha. In the second year however, considerable variations were observed among the treatments with NPK treatment giving the highest yield of 84 t/ha. This influenced the overall economic net benefits and showed that the intercrop advantage depended on the interaction of component crops, the growth environment and to some extent agronomic manipulations, suggesting that the best combination of crops under a particular system of management in one environment with a particular set of climate and soil conditions may not necessarily be suitable in another environment
Determinants of population growth in Ghana
Ghana, with its 92,100 square miles, occupies only 0.8 per cent of
the area of Africa and 0,2 per cent of that of the world. It lies
almost half way between Dakar in Senegal and Cameroon on the coast of
the Gulf of Guinea, and from the southernmost point at latitude 4°44'
North it extends for a distance of over 400 miles to latitude 11°10'
North. The extreme western and eastern points stretch as far as
longitudes 3015! West and 1°12- East. The sea coast is about 344 miles
and international boundaries extend for 1,280 miles. Upper Volta, Togo
and Ivory Coast are her northern, eastern and western neighbours
respectively
The reach and impact of social marketing and reproductive health communication campaigns in Zambia
Background: Like many sub-Saharan African countries, Zambia is dealing with major health issues, including HIV/AIDS, family planning, and reproductive health. To address reproductive health problems and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Zambia, several social marketing and health communication programs focusing on reproductive and HIV/AIDS prevention programs are being implemented. This paper describes the reach of these programs and assesses their impact on condom use. Methods: This paper assesses the reach of selected radio and television programs about family planning and HIV/AIDS and of communications about the socially marketed Maximum condoms in Zambia, as well as their impact on condom use, using data from the 2001-2002 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey. To control for self-selection and endogeneity, we use a two-stage regression model to estimate the effect of program exposure on the behavioural outcomes. Results: Those who were exposed to radio and television programs about family planning and HIV/AIDS were more likely to have ever used a condom (OR = 1.16 for men and 1.06 for women). Men highly exposed to Maximum condoms social marketing communication were more likely than those with low exposure to the program to have ever used a condom (OR = 1.48), and to have used a condom at their last sexual intercourse (OR = 1.23). Conclusion: Findings suggest that the reproductive health and social marketing campaigns in Zambia reached a large portion of the population and had a significant impact on condom use. The results suggest that future reproductive health communication campaigns that invest in radio programming may be more effective than those investing in television programming, and that future campaigns should seek to increase their impact among women, perhaps by focusing on the specific constrains that prevent females from using condoms
Report from the Annual Conference of the British Society of Echocardiography, November 2016, Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London.
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Nothing New in the (North) East? Interpreting the Rhetoric and Reality of Japanese Corporate Governance
Japan finally seems to be pulling itself out of its lost decade (and a half) of economic stagnation. Some grudgingly or triumphantly attribute this to micro-economic reforms, freeing up arthritic markets, although there is also evidence that macro-economic policy failures have been a major cause of poor performance since the 1990s. Many point to overlapping transformations in corporate governance, broadly defined to cover relationships among managers and employees as well as between firms and outside shareholders, creditors, and other stakeholders. These relationships are in flux, with moves arguably favouring shareholders and more market-driven control mechanisms. It has certainly been a found decade for law reform in Japan, particularly in corporate law, with a plethora of legislative amendments commencing around 1993 and culminating in the enactment of a consolidated Company Law in 2005. This modernisation project, particularly since 2001, is reportedly aimed at (i) securing better corporate governance, (ii) bringing the law into line with a highly-developed information society, (iii) liberalising fundraising measures, (iv) bringing corporate law into line with the internationalization of corporate activity, and (v) modernizing terms and consolidating corporate law. Because the suite of revisions has moved away from strict mandatory rules set out originally in Japan\u27s Commercial Code of 1899, modeled primarily on German law, another growing perception is that Japanese corporate law and practice is or will soon be converging significantly on US models. However, assessments remain divided as to whether these moves in corporate governance and capitalism more generally in Japan amount to a new paradigm or regime shift . Focusing primarily on quite influential commentary in English, Part I of this paper outlines two pairs of views. It concludes that the most plausible assessment is of significant but gradual transformation towards a more market-driven approach, evident also in other advanced political economies. Drawing more generally from these often virulently divided views, Part II sets out five ways forward through the proliferating literature and source material on corporate governance in Japan. Particular care must be taken in: (i) selecting the temporal timeframe, (ii) selecting countries to compare, (iii) balancing black-letter law and broader socio-economic context, (iv) reflecting on and disclosing normative preferences, and (v) giving weight to processes as well as outcomes, when assessing change in Japan - and any other country\u27s governance system. Part III ends with a call for further research particularly on law- and policy-producing processes, rather than mainly outcomes. It also outlines the usefulness of this analytical framework for analysing the broader field of Corporate Social Responsibility, now emerging as the next major area of debate and transformation in Japan - as elsewhere
Nothing New in the (North) East? Interpreting the Rhetoric and Reality of Japanese Corporate Governance
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